Relatively small receptacles, such as vases, have been made of papier-mache by suctioning paper pulp onto a mold. However, larger articles have not been molded from this material because no way had been found to impart the necessary strength to the relatively large papier-mache structure to withstand the strains that a large article is subjected to. The present invention is directed to the problem of imparting the necessary strength to a large papier-mache article such as a coffin for a human being.